The Woods
by Karamella Kitten
Summary: This little idea popped into my head. It involves Katniss finding Saria in the woods near District 12, and it is short but I think that's how it should be. I hope you enjoy it!


Today I met a girl in the lost woods. My woods.

Except she did not seem to be lost. She was hunting for something.

And then I saw her shoot one of the strange, outside creatures with a bushy tail right in the eye. It fell dead, and she picked it up and put it into a lightly coloured sack.

I was angry about this, and being a sage, I don't usually appear before people, but I had to confront her. This was cruel.

She looked startled, as if she'd seen a ghost when I appeared.

Then she started speaking a strange language. And I realised, she's from the outside. The other world we know little of. The goddesses created the earth, but when the sages were chosen, we were bound to elements and areas of Hylia. We are the source of the earth. My function is to act as the tree of life, and if I ever leave, disconnect my roots, all things here in Hylia and out there in the outside will die. I know this. The girl had come to the very outskirts of the lost woods.

I somehow knew what to do. I took her hand, and most likely due to my appearance as a little girl, she did not struggle. She followed, slowly putting away her bow, which had also been forged from my trees core.

We were far enough through the woods now. I was never supposed to bring outsiders, or even find outsiders here, so there was only so far I could willingly take her.

Then I spoke to her. She understood me. Despite my Hylian tongue, I knew she understood me because we were far enough into Hylia so people could understand each other, no matter what the language, due to the goddess' blessing.

"I'm not very happy. I saw you kill one of my creatures with your arrows."

The girl looked startled "Y—your creatures?"

"Yes. I am the forest sage, despite my appearance. And you have slayed one of my creatures. However, it is not in my Hylian nor Kokiri nature to be angry and unforgiving. I just wanted to ask why. Here we do not slay creatures, we treasure them."

I could see the confusion and disbelief in her eyes.

"I always come here hunting for animals to sell. If I don't do that, my family will die."

What did she mean? She had a family? Then it was true. There are 'humans' out there.

"What do you mean you'll die?"

The girl sat down on a tree stump and explained everything to me, about her family, her life, the 'districts' they live in, and about the humans strange culture of sending their kin away to die in a battle whilst it is viewed for pleasure on some odd equipment called 'technology'. Also, about how people weren't allowed in the woods, and if they came here it was breaking the law and she could die, but she used to come here with her father and swim in the forest water.

So that was why I could see those strange things in the woods not so long ago, and why I felt happy when they were here. But being around this girl now, she had changed. She wasn't happy, she was hunting, starving and struggling.

"I could die either way, hunting in the woods or bound to my home. I haven't a choice. I'm sorry."

I felt those tears. The way I felt when my best friend had to leave the woods to fulfil his destiny and save the world. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"These are my woods, and I must protect them, like you your family."

She gave me a look of intense understanding.

"However, when you killed that creature, both you and it were on the boundary of my woods. If you stay further back from there, then I have no quarrel with you."

"Thank you."

The girl stood up, and her eyes changed, as if she was seeing me as someone else. I looked up at her, and then she turned away, gently touching her side plait as she did so.

"W-wait…" I didn't want her to leave, to live like that. Struggling to survive.

"What is it?"

"I…I'm sure we could find home for you and your family out here. You could come and live here, be one of the Kokiri. You and your family. You'd never grow old, never suffer."

She gave me a slight smile, and I knew what it meant.

"That's very tempting, and very kind of you. But there are so many people out there in my district, slowly dying. I have to be there to save them, feed them and protect them, especially my sister.

I'm sure there would be no way for everyone in our district to live in the woods. If we all moved out here but got caught later on, we would be putting you and your people at risk. Don't worry, besides the starving, we have each other, and we can be happy."

"You are truly inspiring, Katniss Everdeen."

She was like him. My best friend. My hero of time.

Before she went, she taught me a lullaby and a melody. I like to sing the lullaby to myself sometimes, and when I play the melody on my ocarina, I hear birds high up in the trees echo it through the woods.

She suddenly looked deeply sad. "I really did want to run away here with my family, but the truth is, they could never survive here. Nor would they ever believe me." She began to walk away.

I know what my duty is, the same as it's always been and always will be. Protection. However, I can never protect my best friend the way Katniss protects her sister. I can only protect the one thing I have.

"Could you…come back and see me sometime?" I ask.

"I can't make any promises" she called back, but all of a sudden stopped forcing her way through tangled branches, and turned around.

And then the unique girl in the woods saluted me, a strange kiss to three fingers, held up in the air. She called it a symbol of hope and protection. She gave this blessing to my woods.

"Goodbye, Miss Everdeen."


End file.
